Tag: speech

John Cleese says political correctness has gone too far, especially on America’s college campuses, where he will no longer go to perform. As BigThink reports, the very essence of his trade — comedy — is criticism and that not infrequently means hurt feelings. But protecting everyone from negative emotion all the time is not only impractical (one can’t control the feelings of another), but also improper in a free society.

Cleese, having worked with psychiatrist Robin Skynner, says there may even be something more sinister behind the insistence to be always be politically correct.

I’d like to speak today about what political correctness is, at least in its modern version, what it is not, and what we might do to fight against it.

To begin, we need to understand that political correctness is not about being nice. It’s not simply a social issue, or a subset of the culture wars.

It’s not about politeness, or inclusiveness, or good manners. It’s not about being respectful toward your fellow humans, and it’s not about being sensitive or caring or avoiding hurt feelings and unpleasant slurs.

But you’ve heard this argument, I’m sure. PC is about simple respect and inclusiveness, they tell us. As though we need progressives, the cultural enforcers, to help us understand that we shouldn’t call someone retarded, or use the “N” word, make hurtful comments about someone’s appearance, or tolerate bullies.

If PC truly was about kindness and respect, it wouldn’t need to be imposed on us. After all, we already have a mechanism for the social cohesion PC is said to represent: it’s called manners. And we already have specific individuals charged with insuring that good manners are instilled and upheld: they’re called parents.

A talk by Dr. John McAdams, formerly of Marquette University
Wed. August 16, 2017, 6:30pm

Location: Mayfair Mall at North Avenue and Mayfair Road, Room G-110 in the Garden Suites

Recent news has been full of violent incidents on college campuses in which student and faculty liberal activists have blocked the scheduled presentations by nationally-known conservative speakers. College administrators often prevent conservative student groups from using university facilities for their meetings. Liberal faculty do not allow conservative students to present their views in class discussions or papers.

Dr. McAdams, a popular tenured professor at Marquette University, was recently dismissed for his criticism of another teacher who prevented students from expressing a conservative view of homosexual marriage. Dr. McAdams will present incidents of conservative speech being suppressed on campuses around the country. He is an engaging speaker and is an expert on this important topic in higher education.

Address to the National Association of Evangelicals in Orlando, Florida that would come to represent Reagan’s view of the Soviet Union. Reagan defends America’s Judeo-Christian traditions against the Soviet Union’s totalitarian leadership and lack of religious faith, expressing his belief that these differences are at the heart of the fight between the two nations. (March 8th, 1983)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address, known for its warnings about the growing power of the “military-industrial complex,” was nearly two years in the making. This Inside the Vaults video short follows newly discovered papers revealing that Eisenhower was deeply involved in crafting the speech, which was to become one of the most famous in American history. The papers were discovered by the family of Eisenhower speechwriter Malcolm Moos and donated to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Eisenhower Library director Karl Weissenbach and presidential historian and Foundation for the National Archives board member Michael Beschloss discuss the evolution of the speech.